A good place to start

I've been quiet for a while, writing instead in my striped bound journal next to my bed.  I've been trying to find my center, what makes me happy and whole and feel connected.  Feeling pen on paper always adds a bit of connection and I desperately needed some.

 

I realized that I have been doing what I love for months, working with my dogs and donating my time to friends and family to help them with training issues with their pooches.  Not only am I doing what I love, but I find myself feeling a certain closeness to my spiritual nature and being more mindful.  When I actually pause and take the time to reflect, I am learning more through these interactions and learning how to apply spiritual teachings in a more integrated way.

When talking about animals and spirituality, I mean it in whatever way works the best for you.  My spiritual background is a hodgepodge of religions and belief systems.  I typically categorize myself as a Dirt-Worshipping Quasi-Buddhist who doesn't mind reading the Bible now and again.  This is less about me and more about interactions, so I'm going to skip the multi-post length novel and go straight to the Cliff Notes version.

Whatever your background or belief system, please know that when I say 'Energy' or 'Universe' or 'Spirit', I am doing my best to include everyone while being true to my own belief system.  I have a hard time conceptualizing a being up in the sky watching over our every move.  It doesn't help my paranoia or agoraphobia in the least bit.  I grew up in a Lutheran home though, and find myself saying things like "God forbid", "heaven", "hell", "angel", "saint", or "pure evil".  I don't believe in evil, although I think ignorance, cruelty, and misguided intentions abound in our world. 

 I may also differ from a lot of folks because I tend to see the key people whose writings are included in most major religions as just dudes.  REALLY SMART and AWARE and SPIRITUAL dudes who have a lot of good works, good teachings, and great writings.  Dudes that are all worth listening to at least once.  The best thing about this is that I'm also not bound to one way of viewing and love to hear other people's interpretations of words like 'spirit' and 'angel' and 'G/god' and 'faith'.  I try very consciously to remain open to all ways of thought and always encourage compassionate dialogue.   Even when I don't want to.

I believe in kindness and being self-aware so as not to hurt anyone intentionally.  And I believe we are all here to help and make a difference in each other's lives. It is in this way that I think our animals give us such an insight into how to be more compassionate, wholly realize ourselves, and integrated with our sense of spirituality.   Together, through sharing our stories and observations, we can walk together and learn from each other. 

 

In that respect, I am going to focus my writing here for the next two months on the lessons we learn from our furry friends.   This blog will discuss how understanding our animal's perceptions can strengthen our bond with each other in both the human and animal realm of existence and how to better communicate with them so our spiritual bond can deepen. 

I might even stick in a poem or two.  Maybe.

 

I'm partial, of course, to the animals that are sharing my daily life:

 

Orange Cat:  My orange domestic short-hair cat has been part of my life since 2002.  He was a field cat who moved in under our porch in Ohio and eventually weaseled into our hearts and onto our couch.  He is not my first cat, however.  MacBeth, Mittens, and Murphy were all large long-haired kitties, each one lovingly brought home after someone's barn cat had kittens.

 

Ollie B. Superbiscuit: A Rhodesian Ridgeback.  He is our first dog, adopted in 2006.  My father always had dogs and I grew up spending summers playing with his dogs Captain and Bess, and later Brandy.  

 

Marshall T. Wunderstrudel: Is our German-Something-or-Other, an 18-month old pup in training to be a therapy dog as well as my own service dog.  I plan to devote Thursday posts to working dogs and questions that readers have about the dogs, training programs, or how to get involved in their community with their animals.

 

I also have a soft spot for rabbits.  Winston F. Bunny passed last October after almost 8 years together, I learned an immense amount about how to be friends with a prey animal.   It is a totally different type of relationship and I hope that some of my insights will be enriched by those of you who also have little herbivores that are low on the food chain.  

So tell me:

What animals are a part of your life?